Jared W. Smith

It seems Starbucks is already pulling out the Christmas-themed paper cups for the impending holiday season. I fully realize that Christmastime is really the critical point in the year for most retail businesses, and thus they are well-served to get it in the psyche early on, but c’mon. Ever since this trend started around 2001 or so (if I recall correctly; I remember Christmas coming extra early in retail stores that year, possibly to hedge off a drop in spending as a result of the September 11 attacks), it’s really started to dilute the “specialness” of the holiday season for me. It really bums me out that by the time Christmas actually approaches, I’m already so burnt out on the holiday festiveness that I just want to shut it all out. Perhaps this is a result of my growing older and losing a bit of that giddy feeling that I had as a younger one, or it’s a result of the corporate media and big business ramming Christmas down my throat just as soon as the first cold front of Fall overtakes Charleston. I’m willing to bet it’s a little smidgen of both.